This invention relates generally to receiving, managing and storing volumes of image data, and more particularly, to storing volumes of image data in a lossless format which is readily consumable by applications.
As medical imaging technology improves, the amount of patient data acquired also increases. Currently, complete datasets representing volumes are stored and transferred. The complete datasets may alternatively be compressed or decimated to conserve storage space and increase the speed of transferring the data, but some of the original information is lost in the compression process. Also, as the amount of image data increases, so does the time necessary to access, process and display the data.
For example, a first application reads a complete dataset, decimates the data to a desired level, and then processes the data. This process is repeated by every subsequent application which accesses the dataset. Thus, when new views are desired, the process of decimating the data is repeated. Also, data may be processed at a level the display cannot support, which is a waste of time and processing power.
In addition, when transferring data, such as from an acquisition system to a remote viewing and processing station, the entire dataset is transferred. This is time consuming and requires a large amount of bandwidth and storage at the processing station.
Therefore, a need exists for a more efficient manner in which to store and manage volumes of data. Certain embodiments of the present invention are intended to meet these needs and other objectives that will become apparent from the description and drawings set forth below.